Early Childhood Education

Entry requirements

An honours degree, relevant experience in the field of early childhood education and care is desirable. If you don’t have an undergraduate degree, you may be able to register for the diploma and transfer to a masters course when you’ve completed enough coursework.

Months of entry

September

Course content

This course blends distance learning with face-to-face teaching. It’s open to everyone with an interest in early childhood education, including early years practitioners, FE and HE lecturers, teachers, nursery nurses, voluntary and independent providers, and inspectors and managers working in areas relevant to early childhood.

Wherever you are in the world, you’ll develop the skills you need to carry out high-quality educational research relevant to your own culture. Those skills include a clearer understanding of the policies, practice and theories that underpin early childhood education and care. You’ll discuss international approaches and educational change with leading experts.

Teaching
You’ll study mostly at home, staying in contact with your tutor by telephone and email. You must attend three residential weekends in Sheffield during the two years of the course.

Assessment
Each module is assessed through a 6,000- word assignment. A final 15–20,000-word dissertation represents one-third of the MA (60 credits out of 180). On completion, you’ll have the opportunity to apply for doctoral study on our Early Childhood Education EdD.

Please see our University website for the most up-to-date course information: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/courses

Information for international students

Overall IELTS grade of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component, or equivalent.

Qualification and course duration

MA